ZAP // truthout / Flickr; Vecteezy
The French Navy opened fire on drones detected flying over a highly sensitive military installation that houses French nuclear submarines. The incident follows a series of recent drone incursions into NATO airspace.
According to the AFP agency, which cites the French Gendarmerie, five drones were detected on Thursday night over the submarine base of Long Islandin Brittany, western France, a strategic military location where ballistic missile submarines are stationed.
The submarines there transport nuclear armament and constitute a fundamental element of the French nuclear deterrent. The base is protected by 120 maritime gendarmes who work in coordination with the naval infantry.
According to , after detecting the drones, the French Navy personnel responsible for protecting the base opened fire on the drones. It is not clear whether one of the devices was shot down.
Lighting conditions were particularly good on Thursday night over the port of Brest, due to the full moon and its close orbit to Earth, a frequent event known as a supermoon, highlights the French newspaper.
According to officials from the French navy, who assured that the base’s operation was not affected, it was opened a judicial investigation. French authorities have not yet commented on the possible origin of the drones.
Last month, drones had been seen in the region, although not directly over the base, according to French media reports. This place was already targeted by drones long before the Ukraine invasion began.
The base maintains France’s four nuclear ballistic missile submarines, at least one of which remains permanently at sea to ensure nuclear deterrence.
The incident is part of a wave of recent drone incursions in NATO airspace, with unmanned aircraft flying over military sites sensitive and civil infrastructures in various parts of Europe, including Belgium, Germany, Denmark and Norway.
The presence of drones has also forced them to operate in several parts of Europe. Last month, the United Kingdom, France and Germany sent teams and equipment to support Belgium in combating incursions of drones around sensitive installations.
In September, in Poland, they were called from Russia, in an incident interpreted as a escalation of war hybrid of the Russian president Vladimir Putin against Europe.
